Thursday, November 10, 2016

Will the Right Hold Out an Olive Branch?

How to survive the Trump changes

Donald Trump has won the presidency, will be the 45th POTUS, and the progressives in the US are scared — really scared. If you are a centrist or left-of-center then that brain has, or is now doing some flips to make sense of what is going on.

If in the Trump camp you are ecstatic and maybe feeling more powerful and ready to shove one of societies dregs or some other country around now to show them a new sheriff is in town. Or, maybe you realize those Clinton, Johnson and Stein supporters are now freaking out and ready to offer an olive branch and some comfort to those folks. Maybe you can see that offering a billy club is not the right tool and an olive branch would soothe things remarkably. Maybe you can see that those scared progressives need to hear you say that you have a firm limit on misogyny, racism, societal inequality, nationalism and a willingness to got to war. Maybe you can understand they need some reassuring words that you will not let them be harmed and that you are with Trump to shake things up, but, not let people get hurt.

The center and progressives are scared because they don’t understand why anyone could vote for Trump after what he has said about women, other races, Muslims, Hillary (I will have her investigated on day one!), and anyone who disagrees with him. They wonder how much Trump supporters will tolerate before saying enough-is-enough. Right now they have no idea how far their friends, family, and neighbors will go down the road of nationalism, bigotry, race-baiting, and bullying of those less fortunate. And that, at the least, concerns them, and more likely, they are downright scared that most Trump supporters will stick with him no matter what he does.

Many, many Trump supporters are going to need to articulate where they draw the line. It is the only way for the Trump skeptics to be at peace enough to start healing and find a way to support the changes coming.

The alternative is not pretty. If this turns ugly it could get very bad before it gets better. I hope everyone can find a place in their heart that is inclusive. If you can only find a place for what you claim as yours then the changes coming are going to create big wounds. Look out for, care for, and take care of all your fellow citizens and people of the world. We are all in this together.

Why should Trump and his supporters care? After all, might makes right and with a GOP congress and the Presidency they can do what they want at this point and ram through all those things they have wanted and that President Obama has stopped.

Many wise people have weighed in on this subject before. Let’s consider Henry Ford’s quotes: “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”; and, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” Then in the bible: Mark 3:25 “And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand”; Matthew 12:25 “And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand”. Patrick Henry’s famous statement is similar: “Let us trust God, and our better judgment to set us right hereafter. United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs.”. And, from sports came Vince Lombardi’s quote “Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”

My hope is that Trump supporters clearly find that place in their heart where they will not go past. And, that the place they find will not let anyone get hurt, and that they state publicly where they stand to reassure progressives, women, and those of color that they will not support policies, laws and military actions that will bring harm to those groups. And, just as important, the Dems, independents, and those on the far-left find common ground on many issues, be supportive, and not resort to violence on their side either.

As the state motto of Kentucky says “United we stand and divided we fall”. Lets all stand up together!

2 comments:

Keith AZ
said...

Unfortunately it must go both ways, the left must hold out the olive branch as well. But how does one accept Trump with statements he has made, not just during the campaign season, but over the past 20 years. The divide in this country is about to get bigger. A divide between extreme hope on the right and extreme fear on the left. We are in for a very tumultuous period of time with discontent from the popular majority on the left if Trump's promises come to fruition and if left unfulfilled great disappointment from the right. Since violence is now an accepted and recommended way to deal with opposing views it is bound to get ugly.

The reason I phrased it that the Right should hold out the olive branch is because they were the victors. Of course, it is up to the progressives to take it. With the right firmly in control of the senate, house, presidency, 32 state legislatures and 33 governorships it seems they would be the ones dealing from a position of power and capable of reassuring the progressives. My intent was to engage the average person on the right and not party leadership. But, does the average Pub/Trump/Tea Party supporter even know where they draw the line on hows far a swing to the right they will support?